Senior captain Brad Bleich, and junior Tyler Smith, said their main goal for this men’s soccer season is to get a ring.
They said they want to win their rings as the conference champions in the KCAC this year.
Head coach Bob Casper said the goals of being the conference champions and winning the league this season are goals developed by the players themselves.
“This is a critical goal because we haven’t won conference since 2004, so it’ll be nice to see if they can do it,” Casper said.
Bleich said the team is having a good year.
“This year is the best it’s gone since I’ve been here as far as the record goes and how we’re playing,” he said.
Smith said the team has been good about executing what is necessary to win games.
“Our hard work is paying off, but we still have a long way to go,” he said.
Smith said although there are some inexperienced players because of a large amount of freshman on the team, they have adapted well to the team.
“We have a lot of experienced players and good leadership,” he said. “We have gotten the freshman on our level of play and we get along well.”
Casper also said there was strong leadership on the team, with about half of the team being upperclassmen.
Casper said they have helped bring the freshman along.
“The older guys know how practices should go and what’s expected from start to finish,” Casper said. “They make everyone feel a part of every win and every loss.”
The team has sustained four losses so far this season, but Bleich and Smith said they have been a learning experience.
Bleich said the team tries to take each game as it comes through conference.
“We’re improving everyday at practice and each day is better than the day before,” he said.
Casper said one area where he believed the team could use some improvement was on the defensive end.
“We need to try to find ways to get wins and eliminate the oppositions scoring opportunities,” Casper said.
Casper said while the team had a slow start to the season, they have been on an upward kick for the most part in the past six games. Casper said the team has been in the semifinals of the conference tournament the past three seasons and he would like to see if the team can win it this season.
“I think every game is winnable,” Casper said. “There’s no clear, stand out team that I think could run away with it.”